(The Associated Press circulated the following article on October 20.)
WASHINGTON — Railroads will be required to make more detailed track inspections beginning next month.
The Federal Railroad Administration last year called for more frequent inspections in response to deadly train derailments in 2002 and 2004. The agency announced this week that the rules will go into effect Oct. 31.
The new regulations will require railroads to inspect certain types of tracks frequently for visible or detectable cracks, loose or missing bolts and other damage. The National Transportation Safety Board has said that inadequate track maintenance and inspections were the cause of three serious train accidents, including a January 2002 derailment in Minot, N.D.
That accident sent a cloud of anhydrous ammonia over the town, killing one and injuring hundreds.
Trains also derailed near Flora, Miss., and Pico Rivera, Calif., in 2004. One passenger on an Amtrak train died in the Mississippi accident.
The rule applies to 90,000 miles of railroads made from continuous welded rail – tracks welded together rather than having segments attached with joints that cause the clicking noise of rolling trains. The NTSB said that failure of those types of tracks is the probable cause of all three train derailments.
Canadian Pacific Railway has disputed that inadequate maintenance and inspections were responsible for the Minot accident.